Liquid Love?
by Smilesas
Summary: Friendship is Magic  Spike finds an old magical potions book and inside are directions for a love potion. He wants Tiwlight to make it for him so that he can give it to Rarity, but will Twilight let Spike have his artificial romance? What could go wrong?
1. Chapter 1

_**Okay, so this is my first MLP: FiM fic, but I became a brony (brony can be used for girls, right?) in ten seconds flat and just had to write a fanfic about it since I loved it so much! This is just the first chapter and I'm thinking it'll be pretty long, but we'll see. If you're reading this, then thank you! :))**_

_**Disclaimer: I sadly do not own these characters. **_

Standing atop the highest mountain peak of all Equestria, Celestia arched her long, graceful neck, tilting her head so as to face the star strewn sky. She slowly blinked her luminescent eyes and took in the last lingering chill of the night, then dramatically extended her feathered wings to welcome the coming of dawn. She breathed in before releasing a powerful pulse of magic from her pearly white horn, coaxing the sun to rise from its state of slumber and take its allotted place in the heavens. Her head wreathed in beaming rays, droplets of night dew glistening on her opened wings, and the sun rising behind her silhouetting her majestic frame, Princess Celestia was surely the epitome of pulchritude. She smiled slightly at the shining result of her reiterative duty, and entertained airy thoughts in her mind. She briskly tossed her mane to clear her head and to fill it with royal obligations and concerns. Letting out a noble neigh and rearing on her hind legs, allowing her front ones to paw at the air, Celestia alighted into the sky with a single beat of her wings, and made her way to her palace in Canterlot.

And so began another day in Equestria.

"Twilight! Wake up! Ha, it's not like you to sleep in!" Spike teased as he tugged on Twilight Sparkle's pillow.

"Ungh," Twilight muttered groggily. But upon realizing that it was morning, she became startlingly alert. "Wh-What time is it, Spike?" she panicked.

"Uh, I dunno, no watch, remember?" Spike replied, pointing to his noticeably bare wrist.

"Agh! Princess Celestia has already risen the sun halfway to its zenith!" Twilight exclaimed, glancing out her window. " I _way_ overslept! This is not good! Not good at all!" And with that, she desperately bounded out from under her covers and galloped down the staircase, but not without tripping over a loose board and tumbling the rest of the way down.

Landing in a disgruntled heap, Twilight picked herself up and brushed herself off, clearly irritated, but not letting the situation get the better of her. She turned around to look coolly at Spike, to prove to him that what just happened was nothing. But the loose board had become dislodged, and before Twilight knew what had hit her (literally), the board came crashing down on her head, knocking her to the floor.

Meanwhile, Spike rolled on the floor laughing his tail off. "Hahahaha! Oh, Twilight," he said, gasping for breath and wiping his eyes, "you-you should have seen your face when you-you-hahaha! And then the board- the board- hahaha! And it broke over your head! Haha! Boy, Twilight, you must have one _hard _head!"

Twilight was not amused. Glaring at the board that caused her so much trouble, she saw that sure enough, it was snapped in two. Lifting a hoof delicately to her head, she gingerly rubbed the spot where the board hit her, and was met with a throbbing pain.

Twilight breathed in sharply to suppress a cry, and substituted it with an "ouch." Spike's guffaws were cut short when Twilight gave him a piercing stare that could almost rival one of Fluttershy's.

"Spike, would you mind postponing your giggle-fest to a later date and make time for showing concern for my well- being?" Twilight asked through gritted teeth.

"Sure, whatever you say, boss," Spike responded while snorting back a final chortle. "Uh, I'll go get you…some ice! Yeah, that should do the trick!" He made his way down the stairs with a refined composure, but once he passed Twilight on his way to the kitchen, he started to snicker silently to himself.

"Twilight 'Fall-kle?' No no, Twilight 'Tumble!' Yup, still got it," Spike murmured under his breath while giving a satisfied nod of his head. He fumbled around in the freezer putting together a make-shift icebag for Twilight. Upon completion, he rushed back to Twilight, and without looking grabbed the breakfast on the counter that he had made her hours before.

"Here you go! Ice for your injury and toast with honey-oat butter for your breakfast," Spike exclaimed proudly, holding both of them out to her.

"Uh, Spike? Why does the toast have whipped cream and sprinkles?" Twilight asked with a cocked brow.

"What?" Spike looked at the plate in his hands to see what Twilight could possibly be talking about. But there it was, toast with a mountain of whipped cream completely covered in rainbow sprinkles.

"I-I didn't do that!"

"Hee hee! I did!" Pinkie Pie shouted happily as she came out from behind Twilight.

Both Spike and Twilight started out of shock and were so startled they practically jumped ten feet in the air. When in Equestria did Pinkie Pie come in?

Pinkie Pie gave a giddy laugh to see Spike and Twilight so "excited" to see her.

"Pinkie Pie! Why did- how did- when did you get here?" Spike questioned, gasping and clutching at his chest as it rapidly rose and fell. Twilight, looking pretty out of breath herself, nodded wildly as if to agree with Spike's question.

"Oh, a few hours ago," Pinkie Pie said casually, waving the question away with a flick of her hoof. "I was here to pick up Twilight when I saw the plate of toast through the kitchen window, and I just thought that it looked so sad, being all brown-ish and plain-y, and I remembered that I had my whipped cream and sprinkles with me and I thought how absolutely positutely happy the toast would be if I decorated it with whipped cream and sprinkles, so I came inside and cheered it up!" she finished with a big smile.

"But wasn't the door locked?" Twilight asked, still recovering from shock.

Pinkie Pie gave her a confused look. "Door? Locked?"

Twilight sighed and shook her head. "Never mind, Pinkie."

"Okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie Pie grinned. "Ready to go now?"

"Now? Is it time to go to the meadows _already_? Oh, but I haven't even gotten in a morning read! And I need to fix the stairs, and I have to organize my recent research, and-"

"It's okay, Twilight," Spike interrupted, "I can take care of it all, no problem!"

"Really, Spike? That would be great!" Twilight gave him a relieved smile. "Thanks, Number One Assistant," she added with a wink.

Spike puffed up at this. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, well, it's just something I do."

"Come on, Twilight! Let's go! Let's go let's go let's go!" Pinkie Pie sang as she pranced towards the door.

"Haha, alright, I'm coming," Twilight followed. "Oh, wait just a second," she said. She then used her horn to magically retrieve the ice-bag and hovered it over to land on her head. "Ah, much better," she sighed.

"Hee hee, by the way, I saw you trip. It was _hil-ar-i-ous_!" Pinkie Pie affirmed.

"I know, right?" Spike joined, but stopped himself short once he saw Twilight's disapproving expression. "I mean…it was dangerous and she could have gotten really hurt," he spoke steadily as he waved his hands in front of him in a defensive manner.

Twilight smirked and raised a brow at Spike's sudden change of view. "I should be back late this evening. You sure you'll be fine?"

"Oh yeah, a-okay!" Spike assured with the universal "ok" hand signal.

"Well, alright. Bye!"

"Yeah, buh-bye!" Pinkie Pie hollered from outside, looking in from a window.

Spike and Twilight looked at each other. Baffled at how she got there.

"When did she- how did she-"

Spike shrugged in response, "It's Pinkie Pie."

Twilight laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Hey, wait up, Pinkie pie!" And with that, Twilight cantered out the door and it closed fast behind her…

leaving Spike alone.

Spike has been left alone more often than he ever has before, mainly because Twilight doesn't stay cooped up inside all day anymore. Her only company used to be musty old books, but now she has found new company, outside with her new friends that taught her how to "let loose" and have fun. Don't get him wrong, Spike was happy for Twilight, and was glad that she wouldn't die alone and socially inept, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment whenever she went out to enjoy herself while he stayed behind to take care of his, and occasionally her, duties. The first time he was on his own, it was an adventure, and he got to do things he would have never thought of doing with anyone around. The mirror was his to pose for, the fridge was his to raid, the bookshelves were his to climb on. But after the first few times, it got old, and being alone lost its appeal. And it grew boring. But now he's gotten used to the solitude. The quiet. And now he doesn't mind. As much.

"Well," Spike rubbed his hands together, "guess I'd better get started on that staircase then."

He tossed Pinkie Pie's "decorated breakfast creation" into the nearest wastebasket, not at all tempted by the alluring whipped cream; he was more of a sparkly diamond kind of guy. He then sauntered his way up the stairs, handiwork not being his favorite thing to do, when something in the hollowed floorboard of the broken stair caught his eye.

He rushed up to it, excited to see what kind of treasure awaited him. It looked square-ish, maybe it was some sort of chest. Maybe he'd get his sparkly diamonds after all! But his heart dropped upon realizing that it was just an old, fat book. And it looked _really_ old. It was covered in what used to be extravagant black leather binding that was now threadbare due to years of neglect. The only thing holding it together was dull, gold thread, embroidered in fancy patterns all around the edges of the book covers and spine. You could tell that the book used to be beautiful, but Spike only saw its current raggedness.

He picked it up, disinterested, but he wanted to read the title since he knew Twilight would want to add this to her "collection." He rubbed off the layer of dust that caked the entire book, coughing a little whenever some flew up to his nose. The title of the book was carefully sewn into the cover in the same gold thread that held the book together. It was very ornately done, and Spike had difficulty reading it, but after a bit of squinting and turning, he could make it out.

"Enchanting Elixirs, Powerful Potions, and Dangerous Draughts: Magical Mixtures throughout the Ages. Ooooh, a magic book!" Spike stated with interest after mumbling the title under his breath.

He hefted the weighty book in his arms and carefully carried it to Twilight's reading desk so he could take a closer look at it. He lifted the cover and cautiously flipped the yellowed, crusty pages, glancing at the different potions that each one detailed. Ingredients were listed along with directions for how to brew them, reminding Spike of Pinkie Pie's cook books. Spike found some of them intriguing. Lots of the potions were ones that could heal any ailment, or inflict any malady, but as he went on, they became more useless and harder for him to determine their effects. One of them only had the use of turning socks different colors, and many were in different languages that Spike had never seen before.

"Let's see, Polyjuice Potion? Liquid Light from the Sacred Star of Eärendil? Dr. Hyde's Draft? What _is_ this stuff?" Spike pondered, using a claw to scratch at a scale on his head.

His indifference toward the book was starting to match his confusion, and he was about to close it for good when the next page caught his attention. His eyes darted over it excitedly. The page was titled "Potion of Love and Passion," and he leaned in closer, anxious to find out more about it, as his mind flooded with thoughts of Rarity.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's chapter 2! Guys, I'm super excited about this! I hope you're liking it so far! Thanks so much to the people who have reviewed my story! It encouraged me to get started on chapter 2 right away. Readers, if you have any thoughts so far, feel free to let me know; I'm happy to hear from everybrony! ;))**_

_**Oh, and something that I noticed from the last chapter has been bugging me that I just wanted to set straight. Near the end, when Spike is listing potion names, he says "Dy. Hyde's Draft," but it should be "Dr. Jekyll's Draft." Yeah, sorry, I had the names momentarily confused. **_

_**Well, without further ado, I give you, chapter 2, aptly titled, "Chapter 2." **_

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please_?"

"Nuh uh."

"_Pretty_ please?"

"Nope."

"Pretty please with Pinkie Pie's whipped cream and sprinkles on top?"

"Tempting, but I'll pass."

Twilight was absentmindedly responding to Spike's pleas as she used a quill to jot down the observations she had made that day in the meadows, where the butterfly migration had passed through. It was an astonishing sight; thousands of tiny wings fluttering to a tacit rhythm only the butterflies could recognize. Clouds of them would go by every minute, carried by the whim of the wind, which they would ride to their advantage. Twilight was amazed by their tenacity to stay together despite the odds against them and make their way across oceans and foreign lands just to reach their destination for the spring, only to live for a few hours afterwards. Pinkie Pie was amazed by their "cutey wutey-ness," but that didn't stop Twilight from noticing their scientific value to the world, and she promised herself she'd write down her data when she got home.

The quill was quietly scratching on an unfurled piece of parchment, and Twilight was thoroughly engrossed with her findings. Normally, Spike found this situation soothing and peaceful, and would often watch Twilight write to lull himself into a sense of security before drifting off to sleep. But now, it was just frustrating, because she was completely ignoring his request.

Just a few minutes before, Spike had heard Twilight approaching the house from the meadows, and he panicked, because he was still reading the potion book and hadn't finished a single one of his responsibilities. He haphazardly fixed the broken floorboard by using a thin strip of wood to hold the two broken pieces together and placed the finished product across the hollow stair on the staircase. He then found Twilight's recent research notes which were unkemptly strewn about her floor and desk. Gathering them up into a pile, he hid them, along with the potion book, underneath the "fixed" floorboard (since it wasn't attached to the actual staircase it could lifted at will) vowing to properly sort them the next day. He then rushed about the place, hurriedly wiping down tables and dusting the shelves, nervously glancing at the door whenever he thought he heard Twilight behind it. Spike then dashed about, lighting each of the 53 candles (yes, he counted) with a quick puff of his fire that he was so proud of. Twilight never really liked it when Spike used his fire to light the candles since this made the flames green, causing them to cast an eerie glow. But they would have to do if she didn't want to come home to a dark house in the night, which she hated even more than the green-lit candles.

Spike scrambled to the book shelves, hoping to get a chance to put away Twilight's books she read the day before, but at that moment, the door whisked itself open and in strolled Twilight. Spike looked about him desperately, trying to find himself something casual to do to make it look like he had been loyally awaiting her return upon finishing all of his chores. He plopped himself on the floor amongst Twilight's books, propping himself up with his elbow and resting his head on his outstretched hand. Spike gave a big, fake smile when Twilight noticed him lying there, but she didn't give it a second thought and didn't even notice that the house was just as disordered as it had been that morning. Instead, she returned his fake smile with a sincere one on her own and started to babble about butterflies as she made a beeline to her desk. Spike realized how lucky he was that Twilight was in her own little world tonight, and breathed out a sigh of relief as he used his free hand to wipe his brow. Since she was in such a good mood, she didn't even notice the green-lit candles or the pile of books that hadn't been put away. Spike believed that this would be the perfect time to ask her about the love potion. That she would say yes in a heart-beat to support his heartfelt crush on Rarity and make his dream a reality. Clearly, he was wrong. And clearly, he didn't know why.

"But why not, Twi?" Spike pouted, feeling defeated.

Twilight sighed, and reluctantly used magic to set her quill down on the desk. She turned to face Spike to give him her full attention. She really wanted to finish her writings, but saw the seriousness that was set in Spike's face and decided to address the issue.

"Because, Spike, potions are- wait, where did you even get the idea of a 'love potion' anyway?" she questioned, arching a brow in a quizzical manner.

"Uh…reading?" Spike vaguely stated with a shrug, not wanting to mention the old book he found.

Twilight nodded knowingly, considering this an acceptable answer, then continued.

"Well, potions are considered sorcery, and I don't want to get my hooves dirty with that sort of thing." Twilight explained, her head lifted as high as her morals.

Spike furrowed his brow. He didn't like it when Twilight acted so difficult…and used words that he didn't understand.

"Uh, what's sorcery?"

"Basically, it's magic." Twilight put simply.

Spike slapped a hand to his forehead and brought it down across his face. "But you do magic _all the time_!" he claimed, emphatically pointing to the quill to use it as an example. "And you don't even _use_ your _hooves_, you use your _horn_!" he protested.

"No, you see, sorcery is like a deeper, darker magic, and even if I wanted to perform it, I don't think I'd be able to pull it off." Twilight admitted, shirking in the face of her incapabilities.

Spike brightened at this opening. Maybe if he buttered her up…

"Oh, Twilight, come _on_!" Spike said with a pshaw. "You're the best at magic in all of Ponyville! No, _Equestria_! I'm sure you could make a _teensy_ little love potion! I mean, you beat an _Ursa Minor_ for pony's sake!" Spike reasoned enthusiastically.

"You-you really think I could do it?" Twilight asked wistfully.

Spike gauged Twilight's current self-esteem level to see how much farther he should go till she was buttered-up enough, but not too much that she suspected his true aim. She needed one final compliment that would raise her self-esteem level to "high", but anything higher and his efforts would have been in vain.

"Twilight, you can do anything you set your brilliant mind to," he assured with a solemn flourish of his hand.

Twilight beamed and blushed all at once. "Wow, Spike! Thanks! Well, maybe I could…just this once…"

Spike nodded his head eagerly in anticipation for her answer. He was almost there!

Twilight opened her mouth to finish but then stopped, suspecting something was off, and she frowned down at Spike.

"Hey, wait a minute! You were just buttering me up so that I'd say 'yes,' weren't you?" she rightfully presumed, pointing a hoof at him accusingly.

Drat, and he was _so close_! Spike grimaced; he probably went too far with the "brilliant mind" part. And the flourish was kind of unnecessary. But he tried to play it off.

"Whaaat? _Me_? No way! You know me, Twilight! Would I ever do such a thing?" he asked innocently, beating his eyes and clasping his claws together in an angelic way.

Twilight looked him up and down, not falling for his act. "Yes," she determined. She then turned back to her desk, magically picking up her quill to continue her scrawling, indicating that the conversation was over.

Spike's shoulders slumped and he felt truly hopeless. He always thought he had a chance with Rarity, but this potion would have sealed the deal, and he could feel his chance becoming slimmer and slimmer, slipping away from his grasp. His hopelessness started turning into anger. Anger at himself for his mistake in buttering-up Twilight, but especially anger at Twilight. She was always out in Ponyville helping out everypony whenever they needed her, and most of the time this involved her using magic. She'd use her magic to help her friends in a heartbeat! But the fact that she wouldn't use her magic to help Spike? Spike, who always did as he was told, never (well, hardly ever) complained, and supported Twilight in all that she did? It was infuriating! Years of faithful servitude, never once asking of something for himself, except for this one time, and she denies his simple request! Spike clenched his teeth as well as his fists and he started to shake due to his pent up rage. He felt like he was about to explode!

"Twilight," he said, trying to keep his voice level and hide his anger, "this isn't fair!"

"Oh, Spike, you don't understand. What you're asking isn't very fair either. You're trying to get Rarity to fall for you by using artificial means that can't produce a meaningful relationship. She'd love you, but it wouldn't be her love, it wouldn't be coming from her heart. Don't you want Rarity to love you because she wants to, and not because she has to?" she reasoned, trying to soothe his injured feelings.

Hearing this, Spike started to calm down. He was beginning to understand what Twilight was getting at. But then, the hopeless feeling of losing Rarity started to surge within him, and he got scared, and pushed out Twilight's reason to make room for his passion.

"You don't understand! I _love_ her!" Spike exclaimed.

"Then if you love her, you wouldn't do this to her, Spike. Let her decide, not some potion."

"But I don't want to lose her, Twi! At least the potion will give me a chance!"

"The potion won't last forever! Nothing does! What'll happen then?"

Spike hesitated. But then continued, sure of his love for Rarity and the love that she must have for him. "She'll realize that she really does love me! The potion…will just show her that she does!"

Twilight shook her head. "It doesn't work that way, Spike," she sadly admitted.

Spike's eyes started to well with tears. He didn't want to hear this anymore. It just reminded him of how Rarity barely noticed him. It just reminded him of how poorly unrequited his situation was. Spike fiercely rubbed his eyes, not wanting Twilight to see him cry. He was too manly for tears. Instead, he crossed his arms across his chest in a defiant manner and glared at her savagely.

"Fine! I didn't want your help anyway," he mumbled.

Twilight was taken aback with his severity, and felt sorry that she couldn't do anything for him.

"Do you…want to talk about it?" she quietly asked.

"We just did," Spike coldly told her before marching off to his bed upstairs, leaving Twilight to wallow in whatever ponies wallow in.

Twilight stared after him, feeling hurt. She turned back to her parchment and stared at it blankly. She didn't feel like writing anymore.

Spike rolled around in his bed, unable to fall asleep. The covers felt itchy over his hot scales, and he didn't like the confinement. He was mulling over tonight's "discussion" with Twilight, feeling sorrier and sorrier by the minute for how he treated her. She still hadn't come to bed yet, and it was way past her bed time, so he knew that she was thinking things over too, unable to sleep with the heated words he uttered fogging her mind. Spike was contemplating going downstairs to apologize for his behavior, when he was suddenly hit with an idea. Twilight didn't want to help him, but he knew someone who could. He grinned mischievously as he silently tip-toed to the balcony. The night air was chill and crisp and it felt nice against his bothered skin. He breathed in deeply, ridding himself of the troubles he felt moments before to focus on the current mission at hand. He stealthily looked at his surroundings; not a pony was in sight on the grounds below, so he reached for a branch on the nearby tree that met the height of the balcony, grabbed tightly to it, and skillfully made his way down the trunk, using the scattered branches as footholds. Once his tough, padded feet felt the coolness of the earth, a rush of excitement coursed through his veins. He was sneaking out. He was a deviant. And it felt refreshing. It felt good.

He smiled at his secret thrill as he peered in the direction toward the Everfree Forest.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Okay, so I know what y'all are thinking. "Whaaat? Another update? So soon? Does this girl not have a life?" Well, honestly, I kind of don't, but that's besides the point! You see, I'm really into this story and I'm having fun with it, but I'm going to be gone for the rest of the week, unable to update. So, since I'm pretty much obsessed, I stayed up late tonight to finish this chapter. Yay for obsessions! Again, I thank the few people who chose to review my story! You guys are awesome, since reviews really motivate me to write more! Props to you guys! Okay, sorry for this long intro. Please, do go on and don't mind me. ;))**_

Everfree Forest looked especially dark and menacing on this chilly evening and Spike was starting to rethink his "genius idea." The trees were looming all about him, their branches casting threatening shadows as they creaked and groaned in the soundless wind. He felt surrounded, and he was getting nervous, and would jump with a startle whenever he heard a twig crack below his feet or saw a swift shadow of an animal dart between the trees. The air was cold and stagnant, making it difficult for Spike to breath. He squinted to try to see through the darkness, but it engulfed him and he was struggling to find his way. He knew it had to be here somewhere, he was sure of it.

Spike felt a tingling run up and down his spine and he shivered violently. He didn't like this place, not one bit. He clung to the hope that he'd reach it soon, and his aimless wanderings would be over and his fears would be quelled. But he didn't feel like he was getting any further, and drowsiness was clouding his mind and obscuring his judgment. Fear was the only thing that kept Spike from falling asleep. "Not here, not this place," he kept murmuring to himself.

Suddenly, Spike had the odd sensation of something coiling around his neck. He gasped and grasped at his throat and felt what might have been a rope, except it moved on its own. Spike tried to scream out, but the rope only tightened even more and strangled his cry, making it come out as a muffled whimper. He made a move to yank the rope off, but he felt binds wrap around his wrists and ankles, pulling him mercilessly to the ground and growing ever tighter. Spike was starting to get light headed. He needed air, he needed to breath. Frantic ally writhing, he tried to loosen his restraints, but in vain. Brightly colored spots appeared before his eyes and everything else grew dull and hazy. The last thing he remembered was pain searing across his body and fear cutting through his throat. And he saw no more.

Spike awoke with a start, only to be met with a bright light and a splitting headache. He couldn't tell where he was, but the sense of danger he felt before was gone, and this eased and comforted him. The bright light caused him to repeatedly blink and he couldn't see straight just yet.

"Is this…," Spike breathed in with a whisper.

"Dis ees my 'ome, and to few eet's known ," a voice uttered in response.

Spike's vision came back gradually, and he could make out somepony standing over him. Somepony with a black and white mane that stood up straight in the air, and with striped designs that ran across her body in a beautiful pattern.

"Zecora!" Spike shouted gleefully, relieved to have finally found her, or rather, to have her find him. "Boy, am I glad to see you!"

Zecora smiled slightly, gazing down at Spike with a protective gleam in her eye. "You seem to 'ave found de Strangling Nightshade. They 'ave theeck, ropelike vines dat make minds fade. Dey eat de prey dey knock unconscious," she stated in a serious tone, then softened and added in a chuckle, "But, no worries, dey don't eat dragons, it makes dem nauseous."

Spike scratched his head, straining hard to comprehend Zecora's chanted verse, and it took him a while to finally get what she was telling him. He swallowed hard, not wanting to think of his fate if the plants actually _did_ eat dragons. He looked around the room quickly, not wanting to pry, but wanting to gain a better hold of his environment. He was lying on a very comfortable cot with a warm, cheetah-spotted bedspread blanketing him. Gourds hollowed out to hold spices and nuts were hanging all about the room and were as prevalent as colored bottles filled to the brim with swirling liquids. In the middle of the room, a large, black cauldron rested over a crackling fire, and some sort of brew bubbled and broiled inside, emitting enticing smells. Spike relaxed, thinking to himself that he had most definitely come to the right place! _Twilight_ might not have wanted to make his potions, but _Zecora_ sure could! She was brewing stuff all the time!

Zecora watched him out of the corners of her eyes, not uttering a word. She walked over to the cauldron purposefully and took a deep whiff of whatever was inside.

Spike rubbed his claws together with anticipation. "So, what's that? Some sort of magic potion?" he inquired with interest, eager to hear her answer.

Zecora turned to him and gazed at him deeply with her turquoise eyes, which danced in the glow of the fire. The glow also caused shadows to darken her thoughtful face as they ebbed and flowed across it, making her look mysterious and sagacious. She arched a brow and gave a small frown. "Mageec potion? What ees dis notion?"

Spike lifted a claw in the air to object but faltered. What could the brew be besides a magic potion? "Uh, what is it then?"

Zecora stared at him for a moment before answering. "Our suppah, my friend, and don't eet smell grand. Hazelnut soup, flavored wid spices from my 'omeland. I 'ope it 'elps your recent striking and dat you find eet to your liking." She bowed her head respectfully and lifted it to meet Spike's disappointed gaze.

"Oh, uh, that's good too. But what I really want is a potion, not soup. Aren't you supposed to know this already? Pinkie Pie told me you could see the future and stuff." Spike claimed, folding his arms as if he was issuing a challenge.

Zecora shook her head. "Ala! Not more of dis gossip, I 'ope," she frowned and then sighed. "No, I am not learned in de ways of mageec ponyfolk. I know not of potions and de future I can't see. I am 'appy to be de non-mysteecal me."

Spike was crestfallen. His plan was falling apart before his eyes. "But-but then…what's all this?" he asked angrily, sharply gesturing to the ingredients hanging around the entire room.

Zecora followed his claws and was saddened by his lack of understanding. "Dose are for my remedies, my natural medicines dat I use. I use dem to heal de seeck and eenjured, ones dat had a fate like you."

Spike reddened, noticing how ungrateful he was being after Zecora showed him so much hospitaliy. "I'm…sorry," Spike sighed, "thank you for helping me and stuff, but it's just, I thought you could make me something and…now…" he trailed off.

Zecora said nothing but only focused on the bubbles teeming in the soup. "Eet ees ready, my friend, so 'ave a bowl and anuthah. Why don't you tell me more of dis "someding" ovah suppah," Zecora suggested, wisely understanding that there was more to his story.

And so, with a piping hot bowl of savory soup resting in his hands, and steam rising up in tendrils pleasing his nose, he felt at ease venting to Zecora all that had occurred.

He told her about the magic potion book he found, and reading it all day long, and about the love potion and Rarity, and how Twilight wouldn't make it for him. He choked a little when he spoke about the fight they had and how he had snuck out to come here, and then shivered at the memory of the forest and the Strangling Nightshade, which, Zecora verified, only came out during the _shade_ of the _night_ to _strangle_ its prey. Go figure. All the while, Zecora listened intently, nodding occasionally, but said nothing. When Spike finished, she let a great pause hang in the air to let his story sink in. But the silence grew longer, and it was making Spike feel awkward. He shifted under the covers uncomfortably and gently coughed a few times to remind Zecora of his presence.

Zecora paid no heed of Spike's fidgets and allowed the silence to continue. She took her bowl of soup in both hooves and, with sobriety, lifted it to her lips to take a drawn out sip. Finally, she chanted her words of wisdom.

"I dink I agree wid your pony friend, dis love potion weel nevah meet amends. But dat does not mean you should not try, foh a life wid trial ees one to go by. Take a look at de recipe and find out what you need, gadder all de theengs and follow what you read. Make de brew you so desire, and to add magic to de fire, find a 'orned pony to 'elp, and den see de flames yourself." Zecora finished then closed her eyes, satisfied with her advice.

Spike just gawked at her, his gears slowly turning in his head trying to make since of her rhymed reason. "So…what you're saying is…I need to make the potion myself…but when I need to use magic, get a unicorn pony to help me? And there'll be some sort of magic fire?" Spike inquired, unsure of what he said. He firmly curled a claw and planted his head to rest on his fist as he squinted his face to think some more.

Zecora chuckled at his concentration, and nodded to indicate that Spike's interpretation was correct. "Yes, but do not take me foh a liar. Yoh words ring true, except foh de mageec fire."

Spike glanced up at Zecora, hardly daring to believe that he heard all of it right. He couldn't possibly make the potion! He already read the instructions, and it was going to be no easy task. He might have to trek all across Equestria just for some of the ingredients! It would take weeks for some of the ingredients just to "mature," or whatever it was the book was going on about. Was the love potion really _that_ worth it? Part of him wanted to give in to Twilight's argument, feeling daunted in the face of this difficult task. But the other part of him desperately wanted to be with Rarity, and his love for her often drove him to do reckless things. The latter part was also urged on by the knowledge that Zecora believed he could do it. If someone as intelligent as her had faith in him, then why shouldn't he be able to succeed in his aspirations? And, even though she said she couldn't see into the future, Spike had a feeling that Zecora could see more than she let on. A sort of foresight, if you will.

Spike swelled with a new-found confidence. He lifted his former frown into a grin, and clenched both of his claws into determined fists; his eyes were ablaze with victory in sight.

"Alright, Zecora, I think I might actually be able to do this! Maybe I _can_ make the potion, and maybe Rarity _will_ fall madly in love me! I'll go out on this epic mission and complete what I'm meant to do and-uh wait," Spike wavered, "_am I_ meant to do this?"

Zecora pondered the question, then affirmed it with a quick nod and a smile.

"Right, great! _I am_ meant to do this! So I _will _do this! I'm gonna go on out there and _do this_! Yeah! _Yeaaah_! Spike roared with vigor. He proudly marched himself out from under the cheetah-spotted bedspread and strutted to the door of Zecora's hut. He breathed in deeply, and pulled the handle with an energetic purpose, and looked out into the great unknown.

…it was still night-time in the great unknown. Spike gave a little cry and shirked away from the door, covering his head with his hands and racing back under the bed sheets.

"On second thought…I think I'll spend the night. You know…an awesome adventurer needs an awesome amount of sleep…yup," Spike lied, closing his eyes while nodding his head.

Zecora muffled a chortle, and instead smiled in agreement. She knew that the Strangling Nightshade must have started a fear in Spike's heart of the Everfree Forest, and she didn't want him to do more harm to himself, physically and emotionally.

Spike gave a great yawn and rubbed his eyes sleepily. He curled up under the covers in a tight ball and breathed out in contentment. "Yup…an awesome amount of sleep…" he mumbled before slipping into an evening of dreams.

**_Yes, I probably butchered Zecora's accent, and the rhymes weren't too hot either, but hey, I tried._**

**_*Fun Fact*: I got the name "Strangling Nightshade" from the real, honest-to-goodness plant "Climbing Nightshade!" I like how in the episode "Idle Gossip," they used the name "Poison Oak" and turned it into "Poison Joke" and I wanted to do it too. :))_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Yay! So, here's the next chapter! Yes, I know this installment was kind of delayed, and I apologize for that. To be honest, I'm not that pleased with this chapter. I don't like how it turned out. Don't worry, I'll make it better next time. :)) **_

_**For those of you who wouldn't mind answering, I have a question for you: Should I have Spike making the "love potion" pretty drawn out or condense it and make it a chapter or two? I have stuff plannned out, but it can be shortened or lengthened according to your wishes. Please review and let me know what you think! And be honest! **_

_**Thanks for reading and thanks for the people who faved! :)) You guys are awesome and all deserve a...cupcake! (evil laughter in background) Just kidding, the GOOD kind of cupcakes! Okay, useless-info-thing-before-chapter-that-no-one-reads is now done. Over and out!**_

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><p><em><strong>*Update* Yeah, so I finished this at like two in the morning the other day, posted it, and then the next day, I noticed A LOT of missing words and mistakes. I hate missing words and mistakes. So I uploaded a revised version of it to capture the avatar and restore my honor. So now, if there are still missing words and mistakes...I'm gonna be pretty embarrassed. Sorry about the errors to all of you fellow grammar nuts out there!<strong>_

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><p>The chirruping of birds and the whispers of trees passed on by a gentle breeze is what brought Spike out of his restful repose. He stretched out his arms and arched his back to get out his morning kinks, then, sitting up in bed and allowing the covers to slide off him, he surveyed Zecora's hut with sleepiness still hovering over his eyes.<p>

Zecora was nowhere to be seen, and while Spike puzzled over where she could be, the door was suddenly nudged open, squeaking slightly upon its rusting hinges, and Zecora entered her home with a bag full of star-shaped leaves clutched between her teeth.

She acknowledged his wakefulness with a curt nod after setting the bag down carefully, so as not to spill the leaves. "Deed you sleep well, and good dreams deed you dwell?" she kindly asked.

Spike stretched a final time and let his arms drop lethargically to his side. He grinned sheepishly, "Yup, it was definitely an awesome amount." Zecora didn't say anything, and Spike squirmed awkwardly. He didn't like these quiet lapses of hers, they made it uncomfortably silent. Besides, he needed to get home, and fast, if he wanted to make sure he got there before Twilight woke up.

"_Weeell_, I should probably get going now, you know, so that I can get home without Twilight noticing I was gone?" he confessed, rushing at the end of his phrase as he twiddled his claws and gave Zecora a side long glance.

She allowed a corner of her lip to curl into a half smile. "Dat would be best, beefoh she wakes frome rest."

Spike let out a relieved breath of air that he had been holding in, glad that Zecora hadn't chastised him for coming here without Twilight's permission. She actually seemed to look rather amused, which perplexed Spike because he saw nothing amusing about the situation at all.

"Well…I'll be going then," he announced as he jumped off from the cot and made his way to the entrance of the hut.

Zecora stepped aside for him and slightly bowed her head in a gracious manner to see him out the door, something any good host-pony would do.

Spike lifted a leg to step outside, but something caught in his mind, and he let his leg hover cautiously in the air, too hesitant to let it be swept away by the forest just yet.

"But, you're sure that the Strangling Nightshade only comes out at _night_…right?" Spike nervously inquired, just to verify, for safety's sake.

Zecora nodded her head confidently, and gave out a rich, deep laugh that wiped away Spike's doubts of the forest.

"I weesh you luck wid yoh mageec potion, my 'ope foh you ees as beeg as de ocean," she sincerely assured.

Spike puffed himself up and loftily waved her comment away, faking unnecessary modesty.

"Oh please, I don't need an ocean of _hope_," he smugly responded, but then paused and thought it over. "…but a _lake_ of hope would be okay, I guess."

He made his way out the door with a cocky air, pumping his fisted claws at his side in time with his steps.

Zecora laughed and shook her head at the sight of him. He surely was one proud dragon.

She reached out her nose to nuzzle the door shut behind him, but before she could do so, Spike popped his head back in and gave her a bashful sideways look. " Thanks for…everything. You're really great, you know, for doing all that for me." And with that, he hastily scampered on his way, with all evidence of his previous haughtiness gone without a trace.

Getting out of the forest was much easier than getting in the forest, which is what Spike came to realize. It was as if a pathway had been carved for him between the trees, and the once menacing branches that had lashed out at him the night before now haloed his head with leaves glowing in the warming sun. Don't get him wrong, there was still a surreal feel about the place, but there was a definite improvement that the day seemed to bring about that the night demoted.

It seemed to take mere moments to work his way out of the maze of the Everfree Forest, and this boosted his already inflated ego. He swaggered along at an easy pace back to the library, his and Twilight's humble abode. He sauntered up the walkway towards the entrance, ready to walk in to start the day's preparations. He thought for sure that he got the better of Twilight; she would be none the wiser of his little late-night adventure.

But suddenly, without warning, Twilight emerged from inside the house by bashing the front door open with a severe kick of her hind legs. She swiveled around dangerously and stiffly, her eyes aflame with a deep-set anger. Looking Spike mechanically up and down, she fumed with rage. Twilight felt her blood boiling. Through a window, she had seen Spike coolly walking back to their home, and at first she felt immense relief that he was alright and unscathed, but then the anger at him leaving in the middle of the night overwhelmed her. What in Equestria had he been _thinking_?

Spike halted mid-step. He sensed the tension surrounding Twilight and she looked _really_ ticked. He knew that this wasn't good, and he braced himself for the worst. How could he be so stupid and just leave like that? Sure, it was worth it, but he should have at least hid some pillows under his covers to make Twilight think he was _actually_ there! What in Equestria had he been _thinking_?

"So, Spike," Twilight began, her voice trembling under the strain of keeping it level, "where've ya been?" She began tapping a front hoof impatiently, awaiting his excuse that she didn't want to hear.

Spike gulped in the face of Twilight's threatening expression, and he piddled with his feet and stared at the ground a bit.

"I'm waiting," Twilight rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Spike flinched and avoided looking at Twilight at all costs. "Well, uh, you see, Twi, I…wanted to make the potion and…" he let his sentence trail off, knowing that Twilight wouldn't want to hear any of it.

Twilight chomped her teeth down and ground them together and regarded Spike with contempt. It was all about that stupid _potion_! She trembled: the pebble that started the avalanche. She let her pent up fury out in a snarling vent of needle tipped words, sharpened and thrown with precision. With each one that she let fall, she let fall with purpose and intensity, piercing Spike and causing him to take a step back on multiple occasions.

"_SPIKE_! You _presumptuous_… _pretentious_… _vainglorious_ ignoramus! What _catalyst_ could have _possibly_ led you to the_ approximation_ that it would be paragon to _traipse about_ without notifying _anypony_ your _whereabouts_? Your enterprises were _incontrovertibly inconceivable_, so naturally, _everypony_ was perturbed! Pinkie Pie initiated a _search party_, for _pony's sake_! I have been bothered to the _precipice of illness_ because of your _shenanigans_!" Twilight has a very extensive vocabulary, and she brings out her choicest words subconsciously whenever she is really _really_ mad, and right then, she was really _really_ mad. Spike could barely understand half of what she was saying, but he didn't need a dictionary to know that those words were meant to hurt him, and hurt him they did. He put up a shield of steel, but her icy tone easily penetrated it, and he was left open and defenseless to whatever she could throw at him. Whatever pony said that words could never hurt you clearly had never been around Twilight when she was on a yelling rampage. This went on for quite a bit so that Spike began to incredulously wonder how many words there could be left for her to use.

"Spike! You just make me so-so-" and she deflated and withered to the ground and started to cry, having let out her anger in a frenzy of a storm.

Spike had been covering his eyes with his hands at this point, but upon hearing Twilight's sobs, he peeked through his claws, disbelieving of his ears. He awkwardly looked down at her slumped form on the ground.

He swallowed hard then let out a meek "Twi?" before returning to his cowering. Who knew when she would explode again?

"Oh, Spike," she choked, "I was so worried about you! I went upstairs last night, you weren't in your bed, and I…I just didn't know what to do! I looked everywhere I could think of, I woke up everypony in Ponyville! I even thought of alerting Princess Celestia! Spike, after our fight, I was so scared that you just…left me. And I need you so much, and I know that I've been piling a lot on you lately but…but I just…" Twilight managed to get all of this out between chokes and tears, and finished while wiping her eyes with her hooves. Sniffing she looked up at Spike and smiled weakly. "I'm glad you're alright," she whispered.

Spike was frozen for a moment; he didn't know what he should do. All he could think to say was: "So…Pinkie Pie started a search party, huh?"

Twilight laughed half-heartedly. "Well, parties are her specialty." She stood up slowly and turned her attention to Spike, who at the moment was just standing with his claws clasped on top of his head as a result of his former cowering position. Realizing they were still like that, he promptly took them down and placed them self-consciously behind his back.

The scales on his face blushed a rosy red and he ignored Twilight's teasing grin. "What? You're scary when you're angry," he admitted, none too pleased.

Twilight smirked jokingly at him and gave a quick shake of her mane to regain her composure. She pawed at the ground with a hoof, trying to calm herself and reassure herself that Spike was alright. Then it hit her. Everypony was still looking for him. Oops.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh my brony! _Spike_!" Spike jumped at the unexpected mention of his name, and held up his hands to shield himself as he winced away from her. "I've got to tell everypony you're _here_! I've got to tell everypony you're _okay_!" Twilight reared on her hind legs before cantering off towards the center of town, where somepony was bound to be.

Spike slapped himself in the face as he observed Twilight running, none too gracefully, I might add. He cupped his claws around his mouth and yelled out with all his might, "TWI! You can _teleport_, 'member?

He saw her stop short, drop her head in self-shame, then disappear to reappear who knows where.

He giggled and shook his head, then turned to head inside the library. Once inside, he looked about him in shock; the place was turned upside down! Twilight had pulled down every book, and they were opened to certain pages and organized in some sort of order only she could understand. Maps of Equestria were pasted on every wall with red markings scribbled all over them, probably indicating where the search party should search for him. On the floor there was a big stack of flyers with his picture posted on them below the words "Missing Dragon! Likes gems! Please contact Twilight Sparkle!"

Spike was touched that Twilight went through all this trouble for his sake. She really cared about him, and she was showing it in the only she could: by organizing things. Spike looked about him once more and chuckled at Twilight's endeavors. Then he realized that he'd be the one cleaning up the place, so he let out an annoyed moan as he let his shoulders slump and arms sag. He furrowed his brow and trudged past the mess. He didn't really feel like cleaning, and besides, something was nagging him in the back of his mind, as if there was something he had to do but had forgotten about. He tapped a claw to his chin as he paced up the stairs, then when he stepped on the broken stair he looked down and it came to him: the potion! He knew that the very idea of it had caused enough trouble already, but then he wondered if Rarity was worried about him while he was gone, and the thought of her weeping and looking forlorn over him entered his mind. His heart did a flip and he tore off the floor board and snatched for the potion book and hurriedly skimmed the pages for his answer, and there it was. His heart was pounding as he thought of the possibilities of it all; Rarity, fawning over him as he fawned over her, and he re-read the instructions with relish.

Liquid Love

(3) hearts of wild roses, matured

(1) chip of gold, having sat in a pile of rubies during a full moon

(1) pinch of fresh sage

(1) smooth rock obtained from a river bed that leads to a waterfall

(4) oz of sleeping dragon's breath

(1) half a cup of rainwater that fell during the night of a waxing moon

(2) strands of your lover's hair

(2) strands of your hair

The strength of a mule

The hope of a stranger

The desire of passion

-Combine first four ingredients into a pot, preferably pewter, and cover for two days, keeping it outside during the day but inside during the night. On dawn of the third day, empty sleeping dragon breath into cauldron then cover quickly. Simmer over a low flame for a week to ensure proper exposure of dragon breath (the heat stirs the breath around the pot). Carefully pour rainwater in two additions, waiting ten seconds between additions. Heat over low flame till it reaches a rolling boil. Drop hair strands into pot. Stir nine times clockwise, then nine times counterclockwise, using a silver spoon stirred by strength surrounded by hope and desire. Allow pot to sit for three days to allow potency to reach maximum. Give to lover to drink. Can be refrigerated up to a week. -

Spike couldn't believe how he lucked out with the dragon's breath. I mean, what are the odds that he'd be a dragon making this? There was the issue of him not having any hair, but he figured he could find a way around that. And now that he looked at it again, the potion didn't seem all that difficult. Sure, it was involved and time consuming, and he had no idea where he would get strength, hope, or desire, but it would be well worth it, well worth it indeed.


End file.
